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Computer Science faculty have the projects described below available for students to work on. Other projects are also possible. You can visit individual faculty to discuss a project of your choosing, or other projects that they might have available.

Dr. Zimmerman: Mobile Game Implementation -- Game Engine

A local entrepreneur has created a board game that he wishes to move to a computerized version. A primary focus would be on implementing the essence of the gameplay engine; platform independence would be an important design goal. This project would require learning to use the iPod application development framework.

Dr. Zimmerman: Mobile Game Implementation -- Game AI subsytem

A local entrepreneur has created a board game that he wishes to move to a computerized version. This project would involve developing an AI subsystem for the related project. This would allow a player to play against a computerized opponent. This project would require learning to use the iPod application development framework.

Dr. Zimmerman: Parallel Graph Algorithms

Adapt or retool code that generates families of Graphs/DiGraphs according to user specified parameters and then allows algorithms to be executed on those graphs. This would likely involve: the BGSU cluster and the new SMP machine, but could also involve use of machines at OSC. This would be an ideal project for someone who enjoyed 4170 and 6120.

MPI, graph theory.

Dr. Zimmerman: Campus-Maps on Mobile Devices

This project would involve extending and/or adapting a project from a prior semester. This earlier project involved developing a system that would allow for the 'easy' generation of a campus navigation system, deployable on a mobile device. A working prototype was developed. A number of issues remain. Some of these are:

• improving the graphics
• navigation enhancements
• improving robustness
• user testing

There was some initial discussion as to use of 3D graphics -- it's still not clear whether this is a viable (or even desirable option).

2D graphics

Dr. Zimmerman: Skeletal animator for XNA Game express.

In many games, 3d animations (e.g. a humanoid running) are created offline using tools like Maya and 3d studio max. The animations are then 'played' at specific times in the play of the game. The XNA game express environment has limited support for use of such 'predefined' skeletal animation. Ideally this project would have two overlapping components. 1) develop a toolkit of C# classes to allow easy manipulation of predefined animations within the XNA environment. 2) create a simple XBOX 3600 game that demonstrates the utility of the toolkit. XBOX 3600 provided.

3D Graphics

Dr. Zimmerman: A Java 3D construction presentation toolkit.

We have been investigating the use of 3D graphics as a component in the delivery of instructions for construction tasks, e.g. build a Lego model. We have principally been using VRML to generate the graphics as well as to provide some of the user interaction capabilities. This project would involve the creation of a set of software tools to create construction-task presentations using Java3D for graphics and user interaction.

Java, Java3d, graphics.

Dr. Julie Barnes: Proteomics Analysis Software

To develop software to process spectra mass unit values for cells. At a minimum the software will need to sort two files in parallel, looking for an 80-unit difference in values between the peaks that are recorded on the two files. In addition, multiples of 80, such as 1600, 2400, etc. should be flagged if they are found.

Cells are affected by a compound called a tumor promoter, in such a way that they take on some of the properties of cancer cells. The investigators have evidence that these changes can be traced back to a single protein. This protein, called PKC, is an enzyme that donates phosphorescer groups to other, unknown proteins. The mission of the group is to find out the identity of the proteins. They will do so by cutting up the proteins of the whole cell, in cells where the PKC is unaltered versus those where it has been eliminated. By detecting the 80-unit difference between the peptides from PKC-replete and PKC-free cells, the investigators will identify the peptide fragments from the unknown proteins. >From that, they can learn the identity of the proteins by sequencing the peptides.

At present, the investigators have spectra from a technique known as MALDI-TOF. They need to compare the spectra obtained from the two types of cells, which has so far been done "by eye". However, there are already a number of spectra to be compared, and the investigators may not have found the differences. If software is used, we can determine whether every difference has been found "by eye" in those samples. This project will be followed by further experimentation to confirm the peptides as consistent products altered by the enzyme, PKC. The software will be used in the confirmation, as part of a graduate student's Ph.D. project. It may be of interest commercially as well.

Dr. Rajaei or Dr. Kresman: Use of Java and Parallel Distributed Simulation

Parallel or distributed simulation refers to the execution of discrete-event simulation programs on a multiprocessor system or network of workstations. This may be carried out in a number of programming paradigms, including Java.

Evaluate the suitability of certain public domain Java simulation libraries by developing Java based simulation applications using these libraries. The applications may use several techniques. Conduct test runs on target architectures and generate numerical data on performance and other factors. Prepare a detailed report on your work and give an oral presentation at the department colloquium slot.

The project may employ more than one student. It involves many phases with opportunities for students to work in groups or in different phases of the project.

Familiarity with discrete-event simulation and parallel computing. Good Java programming skills.

Dr. Kresman: Component Development for Public-domain C Library

The Internet Research Group at Sun Microsystems initiated the development of a public-domain C library to validate chains of X.509 certificates. The relevant standard is RFC 3280. Volunteers from outside have been working on many pieces of this library. When completed, it can be used by users/programs across a range of platforms. Soon, the library may become part of open source code. For now, it is still work in progress and a number of additional components are needed.

Your part is a piece of the overall puzzle; you need to follow good software engineering principles and established architecture and programming guidelines for the library. As well, the development employs unit testing and code review.

Following the completion of the code and comprehensive write-up, you will give an oral presentation at the department colloquium slot.

Prerequisite include good C programming skills (NOT C++), CS 4640 ideas, PKI and aspects of CS 5080, CS 6290.

Some of the components are listed below, each of which may be worked on by a team of students:

1. Certificate status checking (starting with full direct CRLs and moving on to OCSP, segmented CRLs, indirect CRLs, delta CRLs, etc.)
2. Name constraints checking; Certificate policy processing
3. Fetching certificates and CRLs from LDAP, HTTP, and other repositories (using information provided in AIA, SIA, or CRLDP extensions or through configuration)

Dr. Leventhal: LEGO Construction Project

Developing VRML worlds and VRML presentation of a LEGO construction project.

The student would need to:
1. Train themselves to use VRML and to interface VRML with java and C++ (this means go through some tutorials and practice exercises)
2. Learn about the notion of "inherent complexity" in building tasks (this means read a paper)
3. Identify a LEGO building task with a suitable level of inherent complexity
4. Build the VRMLs to present the building instructions for the building task
5. Imbed the VRML's into a suitable user interface to use for an experiment.

Students could work in the CHIL lab although the materials to do development in VRML are mostly free.

START: summer or fall

Dr. Kresman: Parallel and distributed algorithms for mining frequent patterns of large data sets

Study and implement at least 4 or 5 existing algorithms. Empirical performance evaluation using large (real) data sets. Use of real (OSU) and simulated processors.

Propose some improvement over one of the existing ones, possibilities:
- patterns in underlying data sets vs influence on performance
- improved data structure vs influence on performance
- processor topology vs influence performance metrics
- anything else?

Weekly progress report/meet with me (at least once a week)

Write a VERY detailed, formatted, and self-contained project report
- on the literature
- your understanding
- your improvements
- program design and methodology
- code walk through + documented code
- program run snapshots and discussion

The write-up may have to be iterated a few times in consultation with me and possibly one other faculty.

Formal oral presentation at a departmental colloquium.

Dr. Maner: Team Formation by Genetic Algorithm

The goal of this project is to develop a GA (genetic algorithm) that will assign students to project teams of size N based, first, on personality factors; second, on skill sets; and third, on characteristics desirable in a team leader.

Teams composed of the same personality types tend to be less productive than teams that are more diverse. In addition, for class projects, it is unfair for one team to have all the experts and another team to have all the novices.

To solve these two problems, this GA program would start by randomly distributing students into teams of N members. Then, the GA would experiment with different distributions of students until personality factors are nicely balanced (i.e., as diverse as possible). Then, with minimal disturbance to the personality balance, the GA would experiment with different distributions of skill sets until both personality factors and skills sets are nicely balanced. Finally, with minimal disturbance to the balance reached for personality and skill sets, the GA would place someone in each group who has the potential to serve as team leader. If necessary, the GA could favor personality balance over skill balance, and skill balance over leader identification.

This program should run as a web application, and should collect the necessary student data by presenting interactive survey forms to users. The list of relevant personality factors and the list of relevant skills should be imported from simple text files, where they can be easily changed. Each line would be an ordered pair:

"factor or skill in quotes" integer-value

The integer-value represents the strength of the factor. For skills, this number will come from an online self-assessment form; for personality factors, this number will come from an online form that measures personality type (e.g., the "Personality Styles Inventory"). This information would be stored in a mySQL database as it is collected; as soon as information has been collected from the entire pool of students, the GA would import the data and begin its experimentation.

An iterative test-first strategy is expected. Before any coding is done, a set of representative test cases with known solutions should be created.

To complete this project, the student must know (or be willing to learn) the required elements of JavaScript, HTTP, Perl (or PHP), XHTML, AJAX, CSS, mySQL and possibly HTML 5. The GA itself can be implemented using Python or Perl libraries.

Dr. Maner: Hartman Value Profile for BGSU Core Values

Based on Robert S. Hartman's mathematical theory of value, develop an instrument similar to the Hartman Value Profile that would measure BGSU's core values as reflected in our general education requirements. Presino has written an background article showing how this might work. Hartman's mathematics of value is detailed in his book, The Structure of Value, which is available from the BGSU library.

This project presupposes some knowledge of symbolic logic as taught, for example, in PHIL 3030.

Dr. Lee: Computer Vision with GPU Computing

The goal of this project is to implement a computer vision algorithm using Cg/CUDA-based GPU programming language. In particular, the project will involve GPU implementation of an existing satellite image structural segmentation algorithm.

2D Graphics with OpenGL/GLUT, image processing, GPU programming.

Dr. Lee has other graphics-related projects.